Italy claims to have rescued most number of Afghan refugees in EU

A few days after completing evacuation process from Afghanistan, Italy has now announced that it has taken one of the largest numbers of Afghans.

"We are the EU country taking in the biggest number of Afghan evacuees," Luigi Di Maio, Italy’s Foreign Affairs minister said.

Several countries from the West and East have been trying to evacuate their citizens, passport holders and Afghan allies since the Taliban took control of the country.

Have a look | Afghanistan evacuations: Latest situation on the ground

Western countries are now struggling to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan now through the Kabul International Airport, before the deadline of August 31.

Italy claims they have evacuated nearly 5,000 Afghan citizens since August 15 — when Taliban took over Afghanistan. Italy has evacuated 4,900 citizens and Germany has brought 4,000 Afghans.

"There are still so many Afghan nationals waiting to be evacuated, and we can no longer do that with the airlift," Di Maio said. "Our imperative will be not to abandon the Afghan people, not to abandon Afghan women, or young Afghans and all those who over all these years have shown a great desire for evolution, for change."

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Italy is now planning to commence a "second, more difficult phase" phase of evacuations soon now to help the remaining eligible Afghan nationals.

As per officials figures given by the ministers, more than 5,000 people are still struggling outside the Kabul airport with a hope of getting a chance to flee the Taliban control.